Romania and Bulgaria by land

We paid 27€ / night for two people and we had our own room in a different building from the rest. The hostel is amazing and perfect for meeting people and enjoying. They have a lot of activities to offer too! Totally recommend

The first thing we did in Sofia was to join the free walking tour. Hands down one if the best tours we have joined, the guide was very friendly and knew so so much about the city! Totally recommend. This church was the first stop on our tour.

This cathedral is just something else! One of the prettiest places we have seen. We spent a good hour or so looking at the murals and all the details. The interior is not as detailed as the exterior and it is a bit dark but still amazing to visit

The Hadjidragana Tavern is located in the center of the city at Hristo Belchev Street # 18. Its doors are open from 11h30-23h30 all year long. This restaurant has a great reputation with locals and is affordable. If you want to eat traditional Bulgarian food and hear live folklore Bulgarian music make sure to make a reservation for dinner. We both got the pork Gyuvech (eggplant, potato and pepper stew baked in a clay pot.) The phone number is (+359) 898 775 936 or you can also make a reservation directly on their website: https://www.izbite.com/en

After lunch we visited one of the oldest places in the city. It is in a park surrounded by trees and beautiful gardens. We loved this church and it’s interior! Nearby there is an Orthodox Church that is really pretty too. We didn’t manage to get inside, but the outside is worth your while!

We walked back to the center and found these fountains with natural water! There are springs under the city and you can fill up your bottles to drink it. It is hot but so refreshing after walking around all day. There are benches and you can chat with the locals. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city center, exploring the ruins and streets. We then had dinner at the hostel and made new friends.

Woke up super early to visit the market and get our food for today’s picnic. You can find ingredients from all over the country and learn about the local foods. We picked baked goods and fruits that we could eat without utensils. This is a great place to buy souvenirs and bulk if you are staying a bit longer.

We booked a trip to a monastery up in the mountains for the day! The first stop was the cave where St. Ivan Rilski lived. The walk up to the cave is not too hard and you will be surrounded by nature. Totally recommend doing the stop

This place totally exceeded our expectations! Absolutely amazing and humbling to visit a place like this. Surrounded by the mountains and in the middle of a forest, this monastery is just breathtaking. We visited the main building, the grounds and then had a picnic outside in the forest. You can book a room and stay for a retreat of a quiet place to think. This is a must if you visit Sofia. You can also visit the Rila Lakes. The visit is amazing but you would need an extra day for that trip.

Guest Rooms Contact Dirección: 16 ulitsa "Zhelezarska", Plovdiv Center, Plovdiv, 4000, Bulgaria. We paid 14€/ night for two people. It was ok, just what we needed for a night

We took a bus to Plovdiv and after settling down we went to explore the old part of the town. Here you will find these mansions that have been converted into museums. They are absolutely amazing and we totally recommend visiting at least one to see the interior. This one was our favorite one and we learned so much about the history of Bulgaria and it’s regions.

Plovdiv: On Zlatarska Street #7, you’ll find Pavaj, a delightful Bulgarian restaurant. Pavaj welcomes diners from noon to 22h all week long. We recommend the tomato and eggplant salad since all the ingredients tasted so fresh and are locally grown. The pork ribs are absolutely heavenly and prepared really well. Other popular options are the meatballs, the tzatziki sauce and the carrot cake for dessert This was one of the best restaurants we encountered in all of Bulgaria. This eaterie has limited space and is regarded as one of the best restaurants in Kapana so make a reservation in advance if you plan on coming here. If you’d like to make a reservation call the following number: (+359) 878 111 876

Once again we joined the free walking tour and it was one of our favorites! The guide was really friendly and showed us the hidden gems in the city! After the tour we had beers with him and tagged along for a free concert in the woods. It was one of the best experiences and we were surrounded by locals, food and good music!

Plovdiv is small, so after walking around the city center and visiting all the main sights we decided to take a bus and explore the surrounding nature. This fortress is small but filled with history. However, the highlight is the view and surrounding nature! It was amazing seeing all the mountains and enjoying the fresh air. As always, we had a picnic and went back to the city to take our bus to the next destination

If you want something more laid back, “Sofra Turkish” is the place to be. Turks are the largest minority group in Bulgaria and they sure know how to make a good Kabab. A local recommended this place to us and we never looked back as we dined here twice. There’s nothing fancy about this place but its finger licking good and in the heart of Kapana (Street Zhelezarska #13.) The service is very fast in this Kabab joint, the Kunefe makes a great desert!

We paid 33€/ night for two people. It was a really nice hotel with pool and all. We had a huge room that was very comfortable and quiet

We arrived at Veliko Tărnovo late in the afternoon but still managed to see the las bit of day light behind this place. Naturally the morning after we woke up early to visit the fortress! It was absolutely amazing and huge. The gardens are beautiful and the church itself is very modern inside. The best part of it was the view and how you can see the whole city from this point.

Shtastliveca might just be the best restaurant in Veliko. The tomato risotto is incredible as are the traditional Bulgarian dishes and appetisers they offer. The food is a bit expensive but the view, the interior design and the service make it worth the splurge. It’s located in Stefan Stambolov Street #79 and if you want to reserve you may do so by calling the following number: (+359) 62600656.

We decided to join the free walking tour here as well and it didn’t disappoint! The guide took us to the best places and explained not only the city’s history but also the country’s. We befriended her and she invited us to a music festival that was taking place that night. After the tour we went back to our hotel, enjoyed the pool and got ready for the party!

Right before taking our bus, we visited the prettiest street in all the town! You will find shops, artisans and restaurants all along this street. They are decorated with flowers, plants and crafts! A must see when visiting the city.

Romania takes its wine very seriously and we where recommended this wine bar. Out of the wines we tried the best one was: Fetească neagră. As for the food we ended up getting two pizzas

We arrived at Bucharest and after having lunch we enjoyed the free walking tour to visit the top sights right away. After the tour we were dead tired and decided to stay in and have a pizza night in our room.

Naturally, the first thing we did was to take a bus and visit all the castles! This was the first stop and it left us in awe... Absolutely amazing and iconic. There are two castles and you can go inside with a guided tour. The basic ticket are 40 lei or 10 lei with discount. But there are many tours. We recommend to buy them beforehand to avoid extra lines and confusion

The only thing we need to say is “Dracula’s castle”! This was a surreal place to visit. The castle itself is not that big and the rooms and quite empty, BUT the view and feeling of being there are just priceless! After visiting and taking in the views we had a picnic at the gardens. They also sell picnic baskets but we had our own food and drinks. Completely amazing

After visiting Transylvania we wanted to learn more about the regions in Romania, so we visited this museum. Here you can learn about every region, their traditions, food and architecture. The place is huge and you can spend the whole morning walking around the tiny villages they have. It was amazing!

For lunch we where craving some greek food so we decided to stop by Gyros Thes Saloniki. The blue and white decor, reminded of us of our trip to the Agean sea and the food transported us there as well. We both ordered the pork souvlaki with tzatziki sauce. They even had Mythos-- Greek beer. The language barrier was a bit of an issue, but we really recommend this place if you're hungry near the city center.

After lunch we explored the city center and some of its main sights. The city is huge and two days are not enough to visit everything. Bucharest deserves more time and we would love to come back to learn more about it! Absolutely amazing

To finish off our trip we visited this cute bookstore! It’s perfect for photos and you can find books in many many languages! They also have a cafe, but the street in front is filled with places you can sit and enjoy your afternoon!